Cocaine Effect

One can feel the effects of cocaine almost immediately after use, with these effects lasting only a few minutes or hours. The duration of cocaine 's effects depends upon how it is administered. The faster the drug is absorbed, the more intense the high, but also the shorter the duration. The high from snorting is relatively slow to arrive but it may last 15 to 30 minutes. In contrast, the effects from smoking are more immediate but may last only 5 to 10 minutes. “In the brain, cocaine interferes with the chemical messengers -- neurotransmitters -- that nerves use to communicate with each other. Cocaine blocks norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters from being reabsorbed. The resulting

Some long term effects of Cocaine are ; Permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain , High blood pressure, which could lead to heart attacks, strokes, and death . Liver, kidney and lung damage , Respiratory failure if smoked , I nfectious diseases if injected , Malnutrition,

The short term physiological effects of cocaine include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Large amounts intensify the user’s high, but may also lead to bizarre, erratic, and violent behavior. The short term effects on the brain are tremors, vertigo, muscle twitches, paranoia. Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety

Cocaine’s mode of action has been shown to involve the dopamine receptors. This paper will discuss how cocaine affects dopamine receptors, the mode of addiction, how cocaine affects the frontal brain metabolic activities, as well as the role of excitatory amino acids in cocaine’s mechanism. I will also discuss how cocaine affects another system through its mechanism on the brain—the renin angiotensin system.

Cocaine’s primary effect on the brain is to produce “psychoactive and addictive effects primarily by acting on the brain’s limbic system, a set of interconnected regions that regulate pleasure and motivation. Initial, short- term effect- a buildup of the neurochemical, dopamine which gives rise to euphoria and a desire to take the drug again”(Nestler, 2005, p.4). This is normally seen in some individuals that draw in the drug like through inhaling. It gives them an instant increase in blood, and brain levels. It causes the individual to become addicted to this substance. Cocaine is thought to produce pleasure/reward like any addicted drug

Crack has an effect on the part of the brain that is known as the rewards center. It is the part that makes us happy. Normally how this works is the brain will release dopamine, a feel good chemical neurotransmitter, in response to potential rewards that are coming its way. It will then be recycled back into the same cell that released it. The signal between nerve cells shuts off, then the cycle is then repeated. When someone puts crack cocaine into their body, the cocaine gets sent up to the brain through the bloodstream. It then will attach itself to the dopamine, preventing the dopamine from recycling. This causes it all to build up between the nerve cells and be released all at once, resulting in the powerful rushed high feeling people get. This lasts anywhere between 5 minutes to a half hour. After using it one time, people can become addicted. However, with each use the pleasurable feelings fade away, making people want a bigger dosage, which could lead to a negative

As a coach, I had a player, who was very polite and worked hard in practice. She was very timid around other teammates. She would stop in to talk to me and never had friends that I could see her relate to. Trying to fit in desperately, she was happy to be included in the “social” activities in college. She got pregnant and her boy friend and her were arrested for conspiracy to deliver cocaine and both sentenced to prison. This course states cocaine can cause an initial rush of pleasure that makes you alert, talkative and confident. With prolonged exposure to meth and cocaine, it can destroy up to 50% of dopamine – producing neurons in certain parts of the brain. This can lead to irreversible symptons of Parkinson’s disease. (Cocaine handout) After several letters from her in prison, she thanked me for being a good listener. I know her family closed their eyes thinking it’s not an addiction, but a social activity that they can quit at any time. This course explains how a higher level of dopamine on a regular basis is needed just to keep you feeling normal. Cocaine can make people feel paranoid, angry and hostile even when they are not high. Prolonged use causes sleep deprivation and loss of appetite. A person can become psychotic and experience hallucinations. It increases the risk that the user will experience a heart attack, stroke, or respiratory failure which can result in sudden death. (Foundation for a Drug-Free

Cocaine works by temporarily blocking dopamine transporters in the brain, leaving the synaptic cleft built up with excess dopamine, causing the cell to get overstimulated. This effects the reward center of the brain, making the user feel a sensation of positive feelings for a short amount of time, therefore making it highly addictive. Moving onto methamphetamine (meth), in my opinion, by far the worst drug out off all the others in this experiment. Meth is introduced to the body through inhalation or injection, causing the dopamine transporters in the brain to start working in reverse. Due to this, dopamine floods the synapse causing the body to have intense sensations of happiness and pleasure for a short period of time.

Cocaine also known as crack cocaine is a stimulant drug, a stimulant raises one’s heart rate, attention and awareness and breathing. Stimulants were used to treat respiratory issues but is now prescribed for individuals with ADHD. In the 1800’s is when cocaine began to be seen as an addicting substance due it’s mood-altering effects on one’s brain. Cocaine can be inhaled through a pipe, when in powder form it can be snorted, and some individuals inject the drug into their bloodstream through intermuscular or intravenously. Individuals that use cocaine repeatedly use the drug within a short time span between each time used so that the euphoric high stays longer. The effects that cocaine has on the central nervous system is so

It stimulates the central nervous system, which strongly influences the mind and body, which allows people to function far faster and efficiently while using cocaine. It also reduces the size of the frontal lobe, the part of the brain which is responsible for decision making and self control. People with larger frontal lobes are far less likely to become addicted to substances because they believe that the risks far outweigh the gains of addictive substances (Dept. of Psychiatry). The frontal cortex analyzes information and compares possible courses of actions. It allows people to skip certain things that they know are detrimental but might cause good feelings, such as drugs, to avoid their negative side effects. Cocaine impairs the frontal cortex, which makes people far less likely to avoid the negative substances in exchange for the good feelings of pleasure. When people begin to withdraw from the drug they experience many anxiety symptoms (Van Bockstaele). This is caused by the residue of the kappa receptor stimulation (Goodman). Cells are altered to change the conscious memories and desires of people into uncontrollable impulses that can be easily triggered. Triggers include seeing cocaine, seeing the tools to use cocaine, and then just seeing simple posters of cocaine (Nestler). It is one of the strongest drugs out there and thus it is one that most strongly affects the

It can cause respitory failure, stroke and heart failure. People who continue to use cocaine may show symptoms similar to schizophrenia, it can cause severe mood swings, reduce libido, weight loss and insomnia. It is estimated that 1.3 million people in the U.S. use cocaine every month (Virtual Mass Spectrometry Laboratory 2003).

Cocaine is also used in the medical field. It is used as a numbing agent in some surgeries and also used to decrease bleeding in some nasal surgeries. Some of the wanted effects of illegal cocaine are increased energy, feelings of euphoria, and elevated mood, while some of the unwanted effects are not as good. Some include restlessness, anxiety, panic, and paranoia.

A qualitative study was conducted in Brazil by researchers Seleghim, Marangoni, Marcon, and Oliveira (2011), who examining the effect of crack cocaine users’ relationship with their family members. All of the participants were patients of a psychiatric emergency clinic. The information collected were categorized into: family ties and facilitators of crack users. When analyzing the socio-economic status of the crack uses, Researchers found the the majority of these people were unemployed or homeless, had history of incomplete primary or secondary schools, separated or single, and mostly man age ranging from 20-49 (Seleghim et al., 2011). The interview reviled long term use of substances anywhere between 8-17 years, and almost daily compulsive

In your post you are saying “A faster drug such as heroin and cocaine occupies enough brain receptors to produce psychoactive effect. It just slows the brain down.” I do agree on the drugs do it does slows the brain down and the side of effects are when it enter the brain heroin goes into morphine that is when binds to molecules on cell opioid receptors. The receptors are located in many areas of the brain and in the body and the opioid receptors are located in the brains stem too. That controls such as blood pressure, arousal, and respiration. Cocaine can prevent dopamine from recycling prevents dopamine from recycling and if you flood of dopamine ultimately it can disrupts normal brain communication and causes cocaine’s high, the short term

When the user starts to come down from the high things can take a turn for the worst. Addicts, and or users can become very angry and irritable. The feeling of high from cocaine ending leaves someone to feel very uncomfortable. Anyone who feels irritable or uncomfortable is prone to become loud, and violent with their surroundings’. The demand for more cocaine will increase dramatically. If cocaine users do not get more cocaine, things can and most likely turn for the worst. No matter if one is sober or under the influence no one wants to be angry. It’s human nature to be happy, however the use of cocaine comes between finding a happiness without substance. The only way for an addicts to be has happy as they were before is to continue to put drugs into their body. Users want to “recapture the initial high” (Morton). The only way to get the initial high is to feed the body more